30 Days of Change – Parenting Challenge
To kick start the challenge after this time away, I’m going to give you your remaining twenty-eight challenges right now. It is up to you if you choose to complete the challenge over twenty-eight consecutive days or spread them out across a longer period of time. As always, please share with us how you are doing, and if you choose to post on your blog about your experience we’d love to hear from you on our Parenting Challenge Linky.
1. Get down to their level when you speak to them today – be amazed at how your communication with your children changes when you’re face to face…
2. Give them two choices instead of deciding for them or keeping decisions open-ended
3. Smile – if you saw a video of your face during your parenting day, you may be surprised how rarely you smile…
4. Go an entire day without taking any action based on what you’ve seen another parent do – how many times a day to do you worry about keeping up or being judged…
5. Go to bed a little earlier – watch what happens when your entire family is well rested!
6. Read more books
7. Find time to be alone with one kid – this may take special planning, but make a date day for some one-on-one time
8. Now find time to be alone with the other child(ren)
9. Enlist the kids’ help in a household task that you normally do on your own
10. Hug them….often
11. Take time to talk to them something that you really like about them – most children feel loved by their parents, but help them feel liked, too
12. Tonight at the dinner table each say one thing you enjoyed about your day – parents included!
13. Before bed ask the kids to describe their entire day, play by play, with nothing else happening (TV, radio, sound machine, screaming from little brother…)
14. Cuddle together and watch a favorite movie without any other distractions – put away your laptops and Blackberries….
15. Allow the kids to choose what they would like for dinner
16. Work on an art project with the kids
17. For an entire day, admit to your kids any time that you make a mistake and say that you’re sorry – trust me, it will happen at some point…
18. Stop doing what you’re doing when you say you will stop – no more “just a minute…”
19. If your kids are mean to you – and you know they will be – smile and be nice back
20. Encourage the kids to do something for themselves that you normally do for them
21. Every time you want to yell….whisper
22. Exercise with your children
23. Be nice to your spouse for the entire day no matter what – yes, this is part of good parenting…
24. Don’t complain about your day
25. Don’t clean your house – yes, that’s right…don’t clean at all today
26. Keep yourself from saying “How many times have I told you….” for the entire day!
27. Follow through with every promise
28. Do the opposite of what they have come to expect – by the end of the day have them saying, “Who are you people?”
Good luck and remember to come tell us how you are doing!